How Harrow College's Living and Working in the UK went national

Success Story

Harrow College, part of Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC), brought us an idea for a qualification that would teach new arrivals to the UK about the country they were now living in. Around eight months later, after national accreditation via Ofqual, Harrow enrolled its first students on Living and Working in the UK. The suite is now delivered by more than 30 colleges and training providers across the country.

If you support refugees, asylum seekers or new arrivals whose ESOL is progressing but whose lives here are still unfamiliar, you will recognise this story.

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At a glance

Centre

Harrow College, part of Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC), an FE college in London

Qualification

Living and Working in the UK, Entry 1 to Level 1

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The challenge

ESOL alone was not enough for students to progress into further study and employment and settle into life in the UK

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The solution

Harrow College brought the idea to us, and the qualifications were developed and accredited by Ofqual in around eight months

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The result

More than 30 colleges and training providers now deliver them; at Harrow, the team works with over a thousand refugees

Gateway Qualifications always listens to us about new ideas.

Therese Lorphevre, Head of English, ESOL and Maths, Harrow College (HRUC)

The challenge: what do ESOL learners need beyond English?

Harrow College’s students were making language progress, but language alone was not enough to get them into further study and employment or to help them settle into a country they did not grow up in. The qualification that would have filled that gap did not exist.

Therese Lorphevre is Head of English, ESOL and Maths at Harrow College. She has lived in the UK for over 35 years and, among other subjects, she teaches English. As the UK prepared for Brexit, she began studying for the citizenship exam herself.

I decided to test those citizenship questions with my husband who is British, and with friends who are British. And… nobody could answer those questions! I thought, wow, what about my students who were not born here?

Therese Lorphevre, Head of English, ESOL and Maths, Harrow College (HRUC)

The solution: how a college tutor’s idea became an Ofqual-accredited qualification

Therese approached Gateway Qualifications, and around eight months later, after the programme had achieved national accreditation via Ofqual, Harrow College enrolled its first students. There are different levels, and as students’ progress, different topics are introduced.

At Entry 2, ESOL Section Manager Liz Njuguna-Wyatt’s classes look at religion, customs and culture: “it gives you the opportunity in the class to focus on the subject and the knowledge, and the language follows.”

On the higher levels the barrier changes. Section Manager Ameeta Jethwa:

Many of our students come to us with high-level qualifications. They've got degrees from their home countries; they've got work experience from their home countries – some are doctors and scientists. But there are barriers here, and it's not just the language… It's a cycle that they can't get out of.

Ameeta Jethwa, Section Manager, Harrow College (HRUC)

So Harrow’s teams work on CVs, interview skills and volunteering placements alongside the qualification, with museums, art galleries, shops, the health sector and speakers from the Houses of Parliament.

The results: how many colleges now deliver Living and Working in the UK?

Currently at Harrow College, Therese’s team is working with over a thousand refugees, and the success of this programme has achieved national attention. Since its launch, it’s now run across more than 30 colleges and training providers, nationally.

Harrow College is part of HRUC. At Harrow’s Ofsted inspection, five out of eight areas were judged to be ‘Outstanding’, one of them Quality of Education.

What this could mean for your learners

Harrow College’s students were progressing in English and still coming up against everything English alone does not cover: how the education system works, what people expect, how to get a first foot into UK employment when every job asks for UK experience. Therese Lorphevre saw that gap while sitting her own citizenship exam, and brought it to us as an idea rather than a request for something off the shelf. Around eight months later it was an accredited qualification, and it now runs in more than 30 colleges and training providers. The same is possible for very different learners, in very different settings. If there is a gap in what you can offer your learners, we’re here whenever you’d like to talk.